my cockatiel is about 6 yrs old and she has recently started obsessively pulling out her feathers. its gotten really bad and shes about halfway bald. weve taken her to the vet many times and tried about everything but nothing has worked. its getting very frustrating got any ideas?
2006-11-22 10:25:13 · 5 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Birds
Well, since you’ve taken her to the vet that rules out all of the medical problems. The only things left would be psychological.
Stress and boredom are the two reasons birds will become feather pluckers. Either she doesn’t have enough toys that she likes to play with or something has changed in her life that she’s stressed about. The solution to 4either is to observe her and see if you can find the cause.
Has anything changed in her life? Remember that her life is parallel to yours. If something in your life has changed, it could have changed for her as well; such as a person leaving home, a new pet, a baby, etc. If something has changed in your life and your own attitude around the bird has changed, she could sense that and not like it. It could be something as working a different shift at work, attending school, etc.
The solution is simple. If you can’t changed back whatever changed, pat closer attention to her and offer more rewards and interaction. See if you can find something else to “taker her mind off” of whatever is different.
If she’s plucking out of boredom, then see what toys she likes and offer her some more. If she has plenty of toys already, try switching some out with new ones. After all, if you had the same toys for 6 years, wouldn’t you be bored? If she enjoys attention, offer her more one-on-one time with you.
Also keep in mind that this is a habit she has devolved. She will need to break the habit like a person would, so make sure you help as much as possible. She might also revert to feather plucking again in the future if anything changes again; once she starts plucking her feathers, it will be difficult to stop entirely. Luckily companion birds don't need feathers as they do in the wild, so even bald, she'll still make a fine friend!
2006-11-22 12:09:58 · answer #1 · answered by lerxstwannabe 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well it could be a couple of different things....... it could be boredom which means you need to find a way to keep her busy. it could be stress which then you need to take her where she can be alone in a stress free environment but don't stop paying attention to her or it will make her worse. it could be that she isn't getting enough attention so the you need to find 5-15 minutes a day to devote all to her. or it could be depression so the you have got to find out if you messed up a routine she has or did you have another bird that has just recently died if so i suggest getting another one because birds don't like change or being by themselves.
2006-11-22 18:42:12 · answer #2 · answered by Lily 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Sounds like stress and or boredom. Birds like routine, have you changed hers ?
2006-11-22 18:28:53 · answer #3 · answered by ddelatoba 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Something or someone is upsetting her.When this first started what changed in the home?
2006-11-22 18:30:22 · answer #4 · answered by Tom 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
she is feather plucking! ignore her when she plucks and praise her when she stops. then, she'll know the right thing to do.
2006-11-23 01:30:39 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋